


I've Got You, Brother

by Ethren



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Bantering, Blood and Injury, F/M, Merula fluff, Protective Siblings, Wizard Battle, Year 6 Spoilers, cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:09:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22546069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ethren/pseuds/Ethren
Summary: Ethren is convinced a clue to the Cursed Vault is on the shores of the Black Lake. Slipping down to investigate in the middle of the night with his girlfriend, little does he know there's an assassin right on his heel - and only one person can save him.
Relationships: Merula Snyde/Original Character(s), Merula Snyde/Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 13





	I've Got You, Brother

**Author's Note:**

> 'Jacob' in this story is renamed to Jaxson.

_“Whitecross._ You keep stepping on my toes!”

“I wouldn’t have to if you would just budge over.”

“I can’t, your fat arse keeps getting in the way!”

Ethren ground his teeth together, and resisted the urge to _dulpso_ Merula out from underneath his Invisibility cloak. The Gryffindor and Slytherin crept quietly through the dark, low lit castle corridors. The portraits murmured in unease up on the walls. Professors patrolled the halls. It was like they were in a prison. Ethren supposed he shouldn’t be surprised - ever since Dumbledore’s decree that all students stay indoors, they seemed to have doubled down on security.

“Remind me again why we’re doing this?” Merula yawned from beside him, rubbing at her tired violet eyes. 

“I already told you. We’re going to search the Lakeshore to see if there’s any correlation between the Black Lake and the Cursed Vaults.”

“The _whole_ shore?” Merula glowered at him, features wrought with skepticism in the dark. “It’s half a mile across.”

“Right.”

“....okay. Solid plan. But how are we going to _get_ to the Lakeshore? The castle is _crawling_ with professors.”

“I hid our brooms. Don’t worry. I have this all figured out.”

They found their brooms where Ethren had stashed them - inside a suit of armor who was less than thrilled by being deepthroated by a by a broomstick. After checking twice to make sure no professors were about - they kicked off through a window and out into the night. 

It was cold. The early december chill rolled through Ethren’s robes and he shuddered, curving his stiff fingers around the shaft of his broom. Moonlight illuminated the grounds in a faint glow, turning the glass surface of the lake a shade of silver. It would have been a beautiful night, perhaps even a _romantic_ night - if they weren’t risking their necks to find something that may or may not have even been there. 

The two beaters glided towards the shore, touching down delicately on the soft sand. Silence. Silence save for the sound of the wind rustling through the naked trees and the waves sloshing against the shore. It was almost disconcerting. 

Merula shivered and leaned her broom up against a tree. “All right, Whitecross,” she hissed, blowing warm air into her palms. “Now what?”

He drew off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. “Now we look around.” He stepped up onto a stone sticking up out of the water and let his gaze fan out over the surface. “Black quills. Footprints. Disturbances in the water.... There has to be something.”

“Right,” she murmured, drawing his jacket tighter around herself. “And what if we just so happen to find the murderous _assassin_ who’s supposedly trying to kill you.”

“Like you said before. He’s bad at his job.”

“It’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”

The edge of Ethren’s lip lifted. He glanced over his shoulder, a shit eating grin easing onto his face. “Why? Scared for me?”

“‘Course not. The letter just happened to mention one of your friends would die, too.”

“And you’re my friend?”

She shoved him off the stone and he splashed backwards into the cold water. “We dated. I’d be concerned if we weren’t.”

 _Dated._ Something about that made Ethren’s stomach coil. “Look. I won’t die. Besides...” he glances over towards her. “He’s after you now. Don’t forget that.”

“As if he could ever catch me off guard.” 

Ethren rolled his eyes. “Merula Snyde, the Ever Vigilant.” He peered over the moon lit lake. “Let’s split up. You take the shore over there and I’ll check over here.”

“And if something happens?”

“Send up red sparks. I’ll be there in seconds.” 

As Merula went to search the shore, Ethren headed in the other direction. 

His ears hadn’t stopped ringing. _Dated._ Did she think about him as much as he thought of her? He hated to admit how often she crossed his mind. 

The first thing he thought of when he woke. 

The last thing he thought of when he went to sleep.

No. There was no way he missed her. That bitchy, demanding, hot headed girl. Ethren grit his teeth as he paced around the edge of the lake, lifting his wand above his head. _“Lumos._ ” Light blossomed at the tip and he jumped up on some driftwood to get a better look. 

Nothing. With a soft breath pushing from between his lips, he turned to walk along the shore - when something caught this attention. A splash in the water. It was enough to make his feet still, and his eyes train on the surface. It had been practically motionless since they’d arrived. A fish? The giant squid? Merfolk? Or maybe....

A flash of red caught Ethren’s attention. Vermillion sparks exploded across the sky like a flare. His heart slammed against his chest. _Merula._ He sprinted, arms pumping at his side and boots skidding across sand. _The assassin?_

He found her, knee deep in the water - grindylows swarming at her feet. The sickly green creatures surged towards her from the water, pulling on her, biting at her, ripping through her clothes. She desperately tried to look in the water for something. 

_“Ethren!”_ She called out. She kicked one in the face, kicking it back into the water with a screech. 

Ethren leveled his wand towards the creatures. _“Stupefy!”_

The red charm blasted from the tip, striking five of the creatures and sent them hurtling back towards the water. He pulled her to her feet and dragged her from the water. It sloshed and churnend where the hive of grindylows thrashed about on the edge of the lake. 

“Are you okay?” He hissed, grabbing her face, eyes searching her features. Instinct. It was a gesture she didn’t appreciate. Merula batted his hands away with a scowl. 

“I’m fine. But... my wand...they grabbed it out of my hand before I knew what was even happening.”

“Your wand..?” He glanced towards the water’s edge and leveled his own. _“Accio poplar.”_

The water quivered before a wand shot out and into his hand. He passed it over. “I guess they were right about the grindylows. They’ve always been aggressive, but... was there any seaweed?”

 _“_ No,” Merula muttered, touching the wand to one of her wounds and it closed up. “I was just in the sand and they... came out of nowhere.” 

Ethren watched the lake spit up water as the grindylows thrashed about before retreating into the deeper pools. “...it might have something to do with the Vaults,” he muttered, thumbing his wand. “Come on. We’ll search by the cliff sides next. That way they won’t be able to reach us, and we’ll have a higher vantage point.”

Everything ached. His head. His muscles. Even his teeth throbbed with pain as the eagle slowly settled down on the withered branches, stretching out his wings. 

He hadn’t slept in three days. Three days of pursuit. Three days of investigation. Three days of keeping a careful watch. He had to.... Considering Ethren insisted in putting himself in danger at every turn. 

Jaxson’s eyes narrowed as he watched his brother searching the cliff sides with Merula. Completely open. Completely vulnerable. That idiot. What was he _thinking?_ There was an assassin after him. 

An assassin that Jaxson had tracked to Hogwarts, before he lost him during a duel. And now... now he could be anywhere.

...at least Ethren was safe for now. Jaxson’s heart constricted, watching his brother lean over the cliffside with his wand raised over his head, peering down into the lake. 

He missed him. Missed his little brother. He ached for the chance to just.... Talk to him. To explain himself. To promise that he’ll take care of him, that everything will be all right..but he can’t. Not yet. Not now. Not with R, and this assassin hanging about. It wasn’t safe yet. 

_Ethren... I’ll be with you soon_.

“Ethren.... We should go inside.”

Merula’s voice stirred him as he tore his gaze from the eagle that passed overhead. “Not yet.” Ethren’s jaw slid forward, standing on the edge of the cliff face. Tired bags congealed under his teal eyes as they scanned the dark shore. The surface. There had to be something. _Anything._ Yet they’d searched for hours only to find... nothing. Was this all just a waste of time?

“Ethren..” Merula was at his side. Her eyes searched his face. “You’re exhausted. And I’m cold. We can keep going in the morning. It was stupid to think we could search the _entire_ Lakeshore in just one night, anyways.”

“Then go. I’ll stay.”

Merula grit her teeth. As Ethren turned to pull away, she latched on to his hand, nails digging. “Listen to me!” She snapped. “I want to find Rakepick as much as you do. Maybe even more. But this is going to get us killed. You aren’t thinking.”

He didn’t want to admit it. But she was right. There was no way they’d be able to see anything, even if there was a clue right under their noses. And who knew where that assassin could be. Fingers pushed through his hair, tangling into caramel locks. “...okay.”

Her fingers touching his arm startled him. But not as much as the lips that touched his cheek. Tender. Familiar. “Don’t worry. We’ll find something. Quit worrying your pretty head, Whitecross.” She draws her hand away. “Besides. You’re bloody annoying when you get obsessive.”

“I prefer to call it dedication,” Ethren grunted. He turned turned towards the castle...

When a figure stepped from the woods behind them.

Silver moonlight curved around his tall, slim figure. Inky black hair fell around his pale shoulders, dark, sleet like eyes piercing and cold through the dark like the edge of a knife. The cold wind pushed through the man’s white robes, and he leveled his wand at them. 

The Mahoutokoro wizard.

Ethren’s blood froze in his veins. The colour drained from his face. _No. He couldn’t be here. Already?_ In that moment - only one thought passed over his mind. _I brought Merula into danger._ He grabbed her arm, pulling the girl behind him and lifted his wand. His features remained even, but the tremble of his fingers betrayed the terror that seemed to crush his windpipe. 

He turned. Turned to tell Merula to run. To go back to the castle, to get help. He didn’t get the chance. The man cast a spell before Ethren could even draw breath. An impossibly fast wave of the man’s hand, and a jagged bolt of purple lightning discharged from his wand, slamming into him.

Pain shot off in his every nerve. It felt like a sword had been pushed through his stomach. He didn’t hear Merula crying out his name. He could only sense her arms closing in around his frame as his legs crumbled. His shirt was slick with blood. The world spun. His eyes stung and white hot pain sealed his throat. Her face. Her face came into focus, her lips moving desperately as she touched the tip of her wand to his wound. Nothing happened. 

She snarled and lifted her wand up to the mage. Halfway through her incantation, her wand flew out of her hand and spiraled down the cliff side. 

There was no escape.

 _Move._ Ethren’s fingers twitched as the man started to approach. Slow. Purposeful. A predator closing in for the kill. _Help her._ He drew a strangled breath. _Save her._

The assassin lifted his wand point blank. Merula tore Ethren into her chest, twisting around and folded over him. _Protecting_ him. No. _Don’t._

_“Ignacio Aquila!”_

That voice.... Ethren _knew_ that voice. He pried his eyes open. 

A blast of firethew the assassin, lighting up the night in gold. He landed hard on his back, the wind knocked out of him with a gasp. An eagle of rippling frame separated the assassin from Ethren and Merula, every flap of its powerful wings sending waves of heat fanning out towards the mahoutokoro mage. Hot. So hot that even half dead, Ethren could feel the heat searing his skin. The flames faded. A man stood between them, back to Ethren and Merula. 

His hair had grown out. Auburn red and fastened behind his head. Black, tattered robes ripped about in the cold wind. The mage lifted his hornbeam wand towards the assassin, eyes narrowed to slits. “Don’t you dare touch him,” Jaxson snarled. 

“Jax?!” 

Jaxson spun. His stomach coiled. His brother lay still in her arms. “Merula! Don’t let him die!” 

“It was all he was able to get out, before he spotted the jet of green lashing towards him out of the corner of his eye. Death missed him by inches. He ducked down and the wicked curse shot past his ear into the darkness. 

“But what about-”

_“Now!”_

Jaxson lifted his wand. A shield formed, sparking blue and the wicked spell ricocheted and struck a tree, turning it rotten, cold and dead. 

Fast. As fast as Jaxson remembered. His bruises and injuries from the last time they faced still ached. But he didn’t stand down. He placed himself between the kids and the Mahoutokoro wizard, wand leveled. They watched. They waited. The assassin paced, black eyes locked on Jaxson, thumb slowly sliding down the pale wood of his wand. 

The assassin moved like a snake. His wand shot out wordlessly and the spell slammed into Jaxson’s chest, knocking the breath from his lungs. His back smashed against a tree, vision going black in a daze. 

The assassin didn’t falter. Another flurry of spells flung towards Jaxson who threw up a shield just in time, three curses smashing against it. The shield shattered into blue sparks.

The assassin materialized in front of Jaxson. Cold precision marked his eyes as a trained killer, and Jaxson could hear the telltale sound of steel against leather. A knife was pulled from its sheath. Jaxson lurched to the side seconds before the knife embedded into the tree trunk - right where his throat had been. 

The assassin wrenched it out and hurtled it towards Jax. “ _Protego!”_ Jaxson gasped out. The blade bounced off the ward and spun out of sight.

Jaxson spun to the side behind a tree, a spell shooting off past his head. His back pressed against the tree. His body shook with adrenaline, gasping for breath. Three times. Three times he’d encountered and fought this assassin, and three times he’d escaped with his life. 

He couldn’t run this time. If he ran...

The ground detonated around him. Like multiple grenades had went off, bits and pieces of stone and ground struck Jax in the face. The blast sent him tumbling back towards the cliff face, stopping only inches from the edge, a rib snapping in his chest. Everything felt numb. Jaxson could taste blood on his lips. His hands trembled, pushing against the ground to heave himself up. 

A hand grabbed his ponytail and yanked him up harshly. Jaxson’s shout was cut off by a fist connecting with his jaw, red spitting out from between his teeth. He spun, slamming against the ground with a cough that tasted like metal. 

A boot pressed into his back. Jaxson’s face was pressed against hard stone. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the pale wand point at his head. Could see the green glow building up at its tip. 

Tears burned in Jax’s eyes. He slammed them shut. _Ethren...I’m sorry._

_“Ericius crucian!”_

The electric purple spell struck the assassin in the back. For the first time, he yelled out in anguish. Jagged, purple spines burst through the skin on top of his hand, pulsating, blood dripping down to the ground. 

Jax’s’s eyes dilated. Rage rushed through him, and his features contorted into raw, panicked fury. He roared, grabbing the wizard’s white robes and thrust his weight to the side and with his last bit of strength - sent them both tumbling over the edge. 

For a single moment - he could see the wizard’s face as they plummeted towards the rocky shore below. For a single moment - he could see the shock and surprise across the man’s features. 

Jaxson would have been content having that look be the last thing he ever saw. 

A hand grabbed his as he fell. Merula gasped out, hand glistening red as she grasped the cliff face and scraped across stone, the other clutching onto Jaxson’s like a lifeline. “Jax!” She hissed, face white with effort. 

Jaxson could scarcely see. Could barely breathe. He felt ready to black out, with only one thought cutting through. _Ethren._ He ground his teeth. A bloodied hand swung up to grasp Merula. She heaved, pulling them both up onto the cliff. His vision blurred with exhaustion and tears. “Is he dead?” Merula panted. She clutched Ethren’s wand tight in her hand. 

He looked back and leaned over the cliffside. He expected to find a broken body sprawled across the stones...but there was nothing. He grimaced. Gone for now....but not dead. “No. He’ll be back for..”

Dread clawed at his insides. His blood turned cold. _Ethren._

He tore to his feet, took two steps and collapsed. His knees bit into the ground, pain shooting through his body. He batted away Merula’s helping hands, crawling towards his brother, blood staining the ground. “Ethren,” he whispered, coming to his side. 

He was sure he’d find his brother dead. But instead... he found him with a jacket torn and fastened around his wound, blood soaking the dark fabric. He turned to Merula. “....you..?”

Merula flushed, lowering down next to Jax. “...you’re not the only one who loves the idiot.”

His eyes softened. Strong arms reach down to pull Ethren up into his arms, the boy’s head resting against his chest. Bloody fingers pushed through his hair, slow and tender. “...you need to get him to the hospital wing. He’ll bleed out if you don’t.”

“What?” Merula frowned. “You’re leaving? _Again?_ ”

“I have to.”

“Are you bloody shitting me?!” Merula bit out. “Leaving him _broke_ him. You abandoned him.”

“No. Staying would break him.” Jaxson could feel heat gathering behind his eyes. Calloused fingers pushed caramel bangs away from his brother’s young face. So small in his arms. “I want to stay. I want to be with him, but..I can’t. R will follow me everywhere I go.”

“They’ll follow him, too. What am I supposed to tell him when he wakes up? That you saved him then just... ran away again?”

Jax said nothing. He slowly pushed to his feet, easing Ethren into Merula’s arms. “You won’t say anything. As far as you know....I was never here.”

Merula’s eyes widened. Her protest died on her lips as Jaxson pointed his wand in her face - and the last thing she saw was a blast of white. 

It was three days later that Ethren woke, tearing up from his Hospital Wing bed in a cold sweat. It dripped down his face in rivulets, eyes tearing around the room in a panic. Merula jarred awake in the chair beside him, springing for his hand. “Ethren.”

“Where is he?! Where...”

Merula’s brows knocked together. “The wizard in white robes? He disappeared after attacking you...how are you feeling..?”

“The wizard in white robes?” Ethren’s mind was reeling. He could barely think. “No... no, not him..”

“Then who?”

Ethren pushed up. His head throbbed with pain, like it had been stomped on by an erumpent. “...did you..did you see anyone else?” He asked, drawing his fingers down his face. “Other than the assassin?”

“...no..it was just us. Did that assassin finally make you lose your mind, Whitecross?”

He couldn’t help it. Couldn’t help the grief that passed over his features. He sank back onto the bed, light from the morning sun coming in through the window in a soft glow.. “...no,” he whispered. “Sorry...I’m fine.”

It was all he could say without the threat of tears. He rolled over, burying his face into a pillow. 

He wasn’t there....Jaxson had never been there.

The first sob broke past his lips. Ethren grit his teeth, fingers twisting into the bedsheets as Merula draped an arm over him in a weak embrace. 

As Ethren’s cries broke through the silence, a golden eagle lifted up from a branch outside the window and took off into the dawn. 

**Author's Note:**

> Like this story? Want one of your own? You can find other HPHM stories and commission information here! http://hogwartsmysterystory.tumblr.com/


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